{Rigel's Room, Slytherin Dorm, Hogwarts}

{11th Sep 1991}

{3rd Person POV}

*Bang*

Rigel slapped his door closed and pulled out the map from his inventory in one smooth motion. The blank piece of parchment came to life as soon as he uttered the magic phrase, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

The full map of Hogwarts revealed itself, and Rigel spread the map onto his bed. His eyes quickly locked onto the name 'Peter Pettigrew.' The rat was still there in the Gryffindor tower. After confirming that everything had not yet gone to shit, he looked around at the other area of the map. 

'He's in the boathouse?' Rigel thought; he finally found the footsteps labeled 'Sirius Black.' He expected Sirius to be in the Shrieking shack like in the movies, but the boathouse didn't make sense. But then again, after the first years arrived at Hogwarts, he had never thought about going there.

'I should go,' Rigel thought. Even if he knew that Sirius Black was a 'good guy,' he was still a little hesitant. He did not know in what condition he might be, in the novel Sirius stayed in Azkaban for 12 years, and here in this world, he had been in prison for 17 years. 

Still, this chance wouldn't come again. If Sirius decided to hide in areas outside of Hogwarts and the map's range, it would be difficult to find him. He shoved the map into his inventory and walked out of the room. He could see some Slytherin walking back into the common room. It was still early in the day. 

He hadn't been able to take a peek at the map last night in front of everyone, and according to what he heard the teachers discussing, Dumbledore had locked the doors, so there was no point in risking the peek. He flew through the dungeons and quickly arrived at the great hall. 

He was about to rush out of the main door when he paused as the aroma of breakfast wafted through the open doors. After thinking about it, he decided to add another stop to his trip. He could go to the kitchen if he wanted to be discreet, but since there was no one at the table this early, he could go in and out without raising suspicions. He quickly arrived at the Slytherin table. 

Since all of them had been woken up and kicked out of the hall by Snape just 10 minutes ago, the place was deserted. With no one around, Rigel sat down at one of the tables and asked, "Can I have a couple of sandwiches? Is there any chicken?"

Rigel looked a little silly talking to thin air, but then a plate materialized in front of him, with two sandwiches on it. He didn't see any meat, so maybe everything wasn't ready yet. 

'It's breakfast anyway, so maybe the elves don't prepare any.' Rigel thought as he picked up both of them and with a thought, they vanished into his inventory. 

"Can I get two more?" Rigel asked, and after packing two more just in case, he said, "Thank you."

Rigel sat up and walked out of the Great Hall. The boathouse was directly connected to the Great Hall. Even Rgiel had to admit that Sirius had balls sleeping this close to everyone. He walked out of the main entrance, and after crossing the courtyard in front of Hogwarts, a stone path led him straight to the boathouse. 

His magical senses were primed, and he didn't encounter any wards, so he was pretty sure no one was aware of where he was. The Hogwarts boathouse was quite small, and after he pulled out the map and confirmed that both Sirius was here, and no one had followed him, he pointed his wand at the door and chanted, "Alohamora~"

*Click* *Creeeeeeeek*

The unlocking spell did its job, and the door clicked open. Even if his first step wasn't as successful, as soon as he stepped foot on the wooden plank, it made a loud sound. Rigel quickly stepped over it, but the damage was done. He was pretty sure Sirius would have heard the noise, and for a second, he wondered if he had selected this room for this very reason.

"Relax, my name is Rigel Black. I know you are here. I didn't tell anyone, so you don't need to run," Rigel spoke aloud. He stared, his voice reverberating through the room. The only answer he got was the sloshing sound of water hitting the two boats that were stored in the boathouse.

Before he could pull out the map and check if Sirius had already bolted, he heard some shuffling sound, and a gaunt man appeared on the other end of the boathouse. The two of them were separated by a narrow platform that went over the water.

Rigel carefully analyzed Sirius for any signs of instability. His wand clutched in his right hand to account for any sudden actions. Sirius Black was depicted in the book as a handsome man, the man before him was very much not the personification of that description. Sure, he might look one if he had some food and didn't look like he was covered in filth.

His cheekbones were visible, his cheeks hollow, and his eyeballs sunken, as dark circles surrounded his eyes. His hair was unkempt, rough, and callous, and his clothes smelled like fish after sleeping in the boathouse. Still, the one thing Rigel feared wasn't there. His eyes were still clear, even though he looked a little dazed.

"R-Rigel..." Sirius spoke, his voice dry and parched. 

'Shit, I totally forgot about water. Maybe he would be able to conjure some?' Rigel hoped as he took a step forward and closed the door.

"Colloportus~" Rigel chanted as he aimed the spell at the door, with at least some form of protection against interruptions. He then pointed the spell at the ceiling and chanted, "Muffliato~"

After both the charms were in place, Rigel walked a couple of steps until Sirius was in the range of the Muffling charm, "Hello, Uncle Sirius!"

...

AN - First meeting between the last Blacks!

P.S - 43+ Chapters on Patreon!